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September 18, 2016

Follow your dreams

Last night I decided to go out and study for an upcoming test I have tomorrow in my photography class. Nervous as hell doesn't even begin to cut it. So After studying I decided to go to Texas Roadhouse in Kirkwood, MO. So as usual on a Saturday night the place is jammed packed which is why I grabbed a seat at the bar. Faster service. So as I'm relaxing in my seat, waiting on my food to arrive and taking in a few of the football games that are playing. A lady sits to the right of me and we proceed to strike up a conversation.

She tells me how she is battling her third round of cancer, lymphoma. She feels wonderful and grateful to be alive. She has 4 amazing kids with great jobs and one grandson. I tell her about myself and how I'm learning about photography. How I'm back in school to learn about it because I honestly don't feel as though I'm living my passion. She tells me about her daughter-in-law. She graduated from Mizzou with a degree in Civil Engineer and was making big bucks. She went through and received her Masters.

She said her daughter-in-law had confided in her that even though she had that great paying job, she didn't feel as though her life was fulfilled. She said that her biggest passion was to become a teacher. So she quit her job and went back to school and received a teaching degree. She never felt so happy and alive. She felt as though she was finally fulfilling her purpose. While in her teaching career she got pregnant and unfortunately developed a severe case of Lupus. It was so severe that she had to retire from teaching. She had to retire at the age of 36.

As I'm sitting there listening to her story all I can think about is this woman diagnosed with Lupus is 90 pounds, on pain medication that is so strong that she has to take naps every few hours. Yet this lady informs me that her daughter-in-law is so happy that at least even for a brief period of time she was able to fulfill her dream of teaching. She tells me to go after my dreams and don't let anything stop me. She says you only have one life to live. Don't waste it on regrets.